Castoffs Welcomed
by Fianna9
Summary: ProwlxJazz challenge 2017: Prompt: outcast, savior Warning: Implied Cannibalism, Species Swap, Gender Change Summary: The outcasts begin to form their own nest. Prequel to A Swarm of Praxians


Title: Castoffs Welcomed

Rating: Teen  
Series: Swarm  
Prompt: outcast, savior  
Characters: Prowl, Skids, Sideswipe, Bob, Sunstreaker  
Warning: Implied Cannibalism, Species Swap, Gender Change  
Summary: The outcasts begin to form their own nest

Sets of Praxian femmes hustled through the alleyways and shadows, trying to avoid detection by the gangs as they searched for signs of infestations. Kaon wasn't exactly a friendly place for Praxians for reasons they didn't truly understand, but it was close to breeding season and their swarm leaders had decided to accept the opportunity to get paid to clean out the pests here in the sprawling industrial complex.

While the three Praxian mechs pleased the Kaon nobles by culling the Insecticons easily located in the brightly lit areas so the five currently gravid femmes could lay, the low-ranking Praxian femmes went after the bigger prey that would be in the slums feeding off the Empties and guttermechs no one cared about. One of the pairs searching the gutters were Skids and Prowl, two oddities tolerated by the rest of the Praxian femmes in the nest. Prowl wasn't as xenophobic as most of the others and had found an intellectual ally in the slightly larger but less aggressive Northern Praxian who'd joined the nest four vorns back.

Right after they passed a darkened alleyway, Prowl slowed and glanced back at the entrance. ::Did you detect that as well?::

::Yes, there's four potentials in there,:: Skids agreed, checking out but dismissing the three Kaonites across the street as no threat. They looked like the other worn down workers they'd seen rather than gang members.

::Let's investigate,:: Prowl said as she slowly started down the alleyway followed by her nestmate.

Four sets of optics watched the small form settle almost on top of the pair of four-limbed hatchlings huddled together in the dubious shelter of a trash mound. All three were all malnourished and filthy with dim optics and battered dull plating. Easy pickings for any of the predators on these dangerous streets.

::Two Zaptraps,:: Prowl almost hissed at the large beetles as they crept towards a pile of trash. They were certainly large that the mechs should consider them suitable gifts for the gravid femmes.

::I can't locate the third just yet, but this one has definitely spotted something to eat:: Skids said as she moved towards the larger of the beetles. Suddenly scurried around the pile instead of into it like they had expected. Not hesitating, she dived after it, claws out and spine ready to strike.

Feeble cries of fear and an odd hissing rattle caused Prowl to leap an instant later, landing directly on the slightly smaller of the beetles. Pulling at it with her claws, she tipped it and ripped off one the mandibles before it could eat whatever was struggling in its mouth which fell to the ground with a thud.

Skids had toppled hers onto its back and driven her spine deep into its internals, injecting poison and starting the quick process of dropping it into stasis. Not wanting an ambush she immediately began scanning for the third Insecticon.

::It's in front of me,:: Prowl hissed as she finally managed to drive her spine into a joint in the beetle's abdomen. Both Praxians watched in disbelief as a tiny Insecticon ignored them and began attacking the still twitching beetle five times its size.

::Skids, I think that's a Cybertronian sparkling,:: Prowl said as she looked down at the small form the Zaptrap had dropped. ::Two of them.:: She amended as another emerged from beneath a rusted metal sheet and crawled towards the barely moving sparkling.

::They're wounded,:: Skids drew back her arm to strike at the tiny Insecticon as it made a whining sound and scuttled towards the sparklings. It didn't show any signs of aggression towards the littel one and even began cleaning it.

"Sunny...Bob," the online one said before collapsing, causing the Insecticon to whine again. Neither of them were paying much attention to the Praxians, although the Insecticon hissed when Skids began examining the sparklings.

::Skids, look at the markings. It's a broodling hatchling,:: Prowl retracted her spine as she watched the Insecticon begin grooming the little sparkling while still hissing at the Praxians. ::I've never seen one outside a Hive before unless it was taken as spoils after a raid.::

::It probably imprinted on these two as its tendings,:: Skids said as she made a small hum to try and calm the Insecticon. ::They're both hurt. Prowl, do you read three sparks but only two spark signatures?::

::Duo-sparks,:: Prowl agreed as she knelt to pick up one of the sparkling and the broodling while ignoring its attempts to bite her. It stopped making distress noises once it was close enough to the dingy yellow sparkling to continue grooming it. ::Abandoned to starve by the idiots around here who claim they're bad luck no doubt. Why such monsters are allowed to breed I'll never understand. Slipline will allow me to depart and take these two back to Praxus to raise properly. Fortunately broodling are too useful to gift to the gravid ones.::

::We'll raise them, nest sister. Neither of us are breeding this cycle, and you'll need help with them once you leave this nest,:: Skids said as she picked up the other sparkling and cuddled it close to her chestplate. Both femmes headed out of the alley and down the street to find their own medics. The Cybertronian hatchlings need care and a proper bath. ::I commed Target and Slasher. They'll let the mechs know where to find these two offerings.::

Several Cybertronian workers headed home after a long, hard shift stopped and stared as the Praxians suddenly emerged from the alley holding small bundles and ran down the street. The taller green worker cautiously waited until they were out of sight to murmur quietly to his partner, "I told you those monsters eat the weak. Better those two abominations we dumped there than good mecha like us."

A/N:

Takes place before "A Swarm of Praxians".

Praxian femmes have three different sets of weapons: claws, the abdominal stinger used to lay eggs, and arm spines that extend out to deliver the poison. They are flightless and use their wings as sensors.

Praxian mechs have the claws and the arm spines. They can fly and are larger than the femmes.

Broodlings: Small intelligent Insecticons that live inside the Hive and care for the eggs and hatchlings. Praxians occasionally keep them as pets/guard dogs and to help with their own young.


End file.
